I love my job but…
I had a bad experience with a patient. I have been doing pathology collection/phlebotmy for nearly 10 months now. I like to think I do okay, I get sent off to different collection centres to collect by myself. But Yesterday I was calling in a patient, she came up to me and said “Have you done me before?” I told her “No I’m sorry I don’t remember” she looked at me and yelled “You have done me before. I remember, you gave me a giant bruise never ever in my life have i gotten a bruise like that I want someone else to do me.” It suddenly clicks, I did her when I first started, I completely forgot about her, I did her probably 8 months ago, I remember I did her bloods, her arm looked fine I said bye and she left the collection centre. 10 mins later she comes back with a haematoma. I understand where she’s coming from, but she’s yelling this out next to the waiting room/reception, my coworkers in their rooms could hear her, she was loud. I told her “I’m sorry but sometimes bruising can happen with blood tests”, she kept reiterating about how she’s never had that happen to her and she wants someone else and that she doesn’t want me. I tell her “Okay i understand the next collector will see you, you will just have to wait” she asked “how long” I told her I’m not sure as it was busy. She’s about to walk out and she yells at the receptionist about how she doesn’t want me to do her blood. the receptionist tells her that someone else will do her bloods if she waits. She grumpily sits back down and I just take the next person instead. My boss already pulled me aside and talked to me about it and at the time it rlly made me feel better. Idk I was rlly upset at first, I was upset I made her scared, I was upset that she had a bad experience. It made me second guess myself. But the longer I thought about it the angrier i’m getting. I’m upset and angry she talked to me like that, that she embarrassed me and humiliated me in front of patients and my coworkers. I’m not really sure how to deal with these feelings. I completely understand how she feels and it’s within her every right to refuse me, but she couldn’t tell me in private? It just makes me seem incompetent at my job. It couldn’t have been that bad if she came back, and my boss said she never filed a complaint against me. I regret asking my boss not to take action because she just walks out of there like nothing happened. I’m just rlly bothered by it. Does anyone have any similar stories? I know I’m not alone in this but god it rlly does feel like I’m alone.
Posted Jun 2, 2026, 1:09 PM UTC